Liverpool Targets Ismaila Sarr After Minteh Collapse

Liverpool’s pursuit of a successor to Mohamed Salah has taken a sharp turn, with Ismaila Sarr emerging as a serious candidate after the collapse of their move for Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh.

Liverpool walk away from Minteh

Liverpool had pushed hard for Minteh. Long on their radar from Arne Slot’s time tracking him, the club opened talks with Brighton with a £50 million bid for the 22-year-old Gambian. That was rebuffed. A second offer of £60m followed.

Inside Anfield, the expectation was clear: Brighton would do business at around £70m. Liverpool even weighed up a third bid over the weekend.

Then the price changed.

Multiple sources, including Fabrizio Romano and Ben Jacobs, report that Brighton raised their demand to £80m during fresh negotiations. At that point, Liverpool backed away. Romano described the club as having “gone cold” on Minteh, with the recruitment team now turning to “different options for the second winger” behind primary target Bradley Barcola.

So the Minteh chase is on ice. Possibly for good.

Sarr in the frame as Palace dig in

One of those “different options” is a familiar Premier League tormentor: Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr.

Turkish journalist Nevzat Dindar revealed on Saturday that Liverpool are interested in the Senegal international, who is also being pushed hard by Galatasaray. Dindar underlined just how much Okan Buruk wants him, describing Galatasaray as “extremely serious” about the transfer and Palace as “just as determined not to sell”.

The tension around Sarr’s future is already spilling into matchday decisions. According to Dindar, Sarr wants to leave and was left out of the Palace squad for that very reason.

Liverpool are not alone in watching the situation. Manchester United are also monitoring developments as Galatasaray try to force a breakthrough with Palace.

The numbers are stark. Club sources indicate Palace want at least £50m to part with Sarr. Galatasaray, by contrast, are aiming for a deal somewhere between £30m and £43m. That gap will decide who stays at the table.

Liverpool fans know exactly what Sarr brings. Across his spells at Watford and Crystal Palace, he has punished the Reds repeatedly: seven goals and two assists in 10 appearances against them. It is the kind of record that lingers in the minds of sporting directors.

They would rather see him sprinting down the right flank in red than hunting them on the counter again.

Mbaye remains on the list

If Liverpool decide not to test Palace’s resolve, they have another high-end option: Ibrahim Mbaye at Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool have already agreed a five-year contract with the 18-year-old and held talks with PSG. The framework of a move is there. The problem is the price.

Reports differ on exactly how much PSG want, but the figures are hefty: anything from £43m up to £60m has been mentioned. Ben Jacobs put it bluntly on Tuesday, explaining Liverpool’s current stance on both Minteh and Mbaye.

“With Minteh, they held some talks over the weekend. They’re deciding today; so it could change any minute and very quickly whether they want to make a third bid,” Jacobs said. “If they go to £70m, it’ll be a done deal, according to Brighton sources. My sense is Liverpool might consider £65m first. That was discussed at the weekend, but I think if Liverpool bid one more time it’ll almost be a final bid, because they’ve got other options [like] Ibrahim Mbaye.

“But PSG want €70m [£59.8m], which is still equivalent to Minteh. So, they’ve got two options now at roughly the same price. But my expectation is that it’s Barcola plus one.”

That line is key. Inside Liverpool, the plan looks increasingly like Barcola plus a second winger, not a scattergun spree.

Right now, that “one” sits in a tight triangle: Minteh at a price they no longer like, Mbaye at a fee PSG refuse to drop, and Sarr, a proven Premier League threat whose own club are holding firm.

Liverpool have turned the page on Minteh for now. The next move will say everything about how bold they are prepared to be in reshaping life after Salah.